


But I'll Be Close Behind

by Vague_Shadows



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Sterek - Freeform, I'm making it a thing if it's not, but fluffy angst, is that a thing?, so don't stop after chapter one unless you want pure angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-20
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 11:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/811211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vague_Shadows/pseuds/Vague_Shadows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek will be dead in two minutes.</p><p>But it’s okay because that means Stiles only has to hold on for three.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so um...I was totally working on something else, and then Gavin Mikhail's version of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" came on and this happened...so yeah...whoops?

“Derek,” Stiles gasps, fighting desperately against the searing pain in his side as he pulls Derek’s head up into his lap.  “Derek, come on, don’t be dead. Don’t be dead.”

“Stiles?” he replies weakly, his eyes finding Stiles.  “I thought you were—”

The sentence remains unfinished as he dissolves into a fit of coughs, sputtering up blood.  He’s ripped to shreds, flesh and bone exposed, and gushing such copious amounts of blood that it stains the grass beneath him a sickening scarlet.  He’s not healing anymore, and there’s no chance help will get here in time.

Derek will be dead in two minutes.

But it’s okay because that means Stiles only has to hold on for three.

“No, I’m okay,” Stiles lies, knowing Derek’s too far gone to see the literal chunk missing from Stiles’ torso that’s pouring blood that seeps into the earth alongside Derek’s.  “You did it, Derek. You killed him. I’m okay.”

He doesn’t waste a glance on the mangled body of the offending Alpha lying just a few feet away where he fell from Derek’s final blows.

“Good,” Derek replies hoarsely.  “Good.”

There’s relief on his face so complete it would seem out of place to anyone who didn’t know that Derek Hale’s greatest fear isn’t dying but surviving the loss of more people he loves. But Stiles knows, he knows Derek far too well, and he’s lost count of the times—before fights, after surviving them, packing the car for Stiles to leave on road trips with Scott, when Derek wakes up screaming from nightmares fueled by a lifetime of horrors—that Derek’s told him, “I can’t lose you” and Stiles always, _always_ promises, “You won’t.”

And by God, he’s going to keep that promise.

So even though his vision’s starting to darken at the edges and he’s so weak he can barely keep from falling over, Stiles takes a deep breath, bracing against the agony and holding it together only by the grace of God. He forces a small smile through his tears.

“I love you, you idiot,” he confesses for what seems the billionth and is surely the last time.

“I know,” Derek replies, and the faintest of smiles crosses his lips at the familiar joking quote.

Stiles bends despite the piercing pain and gently kisses that smile that’s more or less been his reason for living the past four years.

“I love you too, moron,” Derek breathes quietly as Stiles pulls away, and he’s smiling outright now in spite of his wounds, looking up at Stiles when he breathes his last just a moment later.

            


	2. Chapter 2

One minute Derek’s dying in a pool of his own blood, the feel of Stiles’ lips on his lingering as the darkness closed in.  The next he’s blinking against blindingly bright sunshine, breathless at the sight of his childhood home untouched and whole standing no more than a hundred feet away.  He looks around for a moment, waiting for this dream to disband, but it doesn’t.  The house stays; the sun continues to shine; and he can hear the faint sounds of his family inside. 

He’d always figured there was something better waiting for people who deserved it; he just no longer believed he was one of those people.  

He turns at the sound of movement behind him.  He catches a glimpse of Stiles’ elated face just before he locks Derek into an embrace so tight it would’ve barreled him over if he weren’t a werewolf. 

“Oh, thank God,” Stiles says.  “I wasn’t so sure how this afterlife thing worked.”

“Stiles, you told me you were okay.  How hurt were you really? Did you—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Stiles replies firmly.  “We’re together right? Couldn’t have worked it out better ourselves.  We just totally Notebook-ed that shit—well, not exactly, but close enough.” 

“Notebook-ed?” Derek repeats with a teasing grin.

“Oh, shut up. You’re not allowed to be an asshole to me in heaven—or whatever this is—there are rules,” he informs. “Probably.”

He relinquishes his hold on Derek and looks admiringly up at the house.  A moment later Laura’s head peeks out the living room window.  She grins as her eyes meet Derek’s.

“Hey, Derek’s home!” she calls back into the house, letting the curtain drop, and Derek can hear the pounding of feet as everybody tromps toward the door.

Laura’s the first one out, but Mom and Dad aren’t far behind followed by Eli and Macy. Derek stands frozen, unable to believe this is really happening, waiting for it to all dissolve into the misery he deserves the moment he takes a step toward the tantalizing mirage. 

The trepidation disappears in the next moment when Mom rolls her eyes and calls exasperatedly, “Derek Lee Hale, don’t you just _stand there_! Introduce us!”   

He grins over at Stiles, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the porch.

“Come on,” he says giddily.  “Come meet my family.”

There’s hugging and kissing and happy tears and teasing and laughing, and just when he’s pretty sure he’s going to burst with the overwhelming sense of contentment settling over him, the sound of a familiar horn calls their attention to the driveway.  Stiles’ Jeep—well, still the Stilinski Family Jeep here Derek guesses—is coming down the drive, pristine as she probably was the day they bought her.  The Sheriff honks in greeting once again as Mrs. Stilinski waves out the window.  Stiles flies off the porch to run meet them.

Derek knows without a doubt he and Stiles will be incandescently happy here.  A peace Derek didn’t think existed settles in his soul and obliterates years of hurt and guilt and anger, leaving only the euphoric young man who follows after Stiles to go greet his in-laws.

           

            

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah that's what I meant by fluffy angst... Hope you enjoyed it! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
